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(No Model.)

D. J. POWERS.

FOLDING BED.

Patented July 7, 1885.

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D. J. POWERS.

FOLDING BED.

, Patented July '7, 1885,.

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nu mm, ramming AIMEE UNITED STATES PATENT rricE.

DAVID J. POWERS, E oHIoAco, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To THE UNION WIREMATTEEss COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 821,911, dated July 7,1885.

Application filed May 11, 1883. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern: to the opposite ends of rail D are pivotedthe Be it known that I, DAVID J. POWERS, a straining-braces d d at theirstraight end, and citizen of the United States, residing at Ghitheopposite upward-curving ends are secured cago, in the county of Cook andState of lllito the margin of the fabric at E E, and being 5 nois, haveinvented new and useful Improveattached to the fabric above their planeof atments in Folding Beds, of which the followtachinent to the bar Dthey necessarily stretch ing is a specification. or spread the fabricwhen borne down by an My invention relates to improvements in occupantof the bed, and thus strengthen and folding beds; and it consists,first, in a device support it and counteract its tendency to set- 60 forstretching transversely and supporting the tle or sag in the center, orto contract or narelastic fabric bed bottom secondly, in atrowcentrally, when the bed is folded and the taching the elastic bottom toa limited extent fabric slackened endwise. to the side rails tocounteract lateral contrac- The device is equally applicable to a woven-.tion; thirdly, in a certain detachablehinge dewire mattress upon anordinary frame, so far 65 1 vice for connecting the rail structure andhead as supporting the same to prevent it from and foot sections of thecase;and, fourthly, in a sagging is concerned, and may be applieddicertain opening in the base of the case, when rectly to the side railsof a mattress or foldclosed, for ventilation. ing bed, or upon pendants,as shown in Fig.

Figure 1 of the drawings Shows the bed 3 of the drawings; and one ormore sets of c closed; Fig. 2, a sectional view of Fig. 1, the bracesmay be applied at different points partly open; Fig. 3, fully open; Fig.4, a upon or beneath the side rails, as found de cross-section on line m00 of Fig. 3; Fig, 5, a sirable, a pendant, f, being shown in Fig. 3longitudinal central section of portions of the for this purpose. Fig.4. shows substantially side rails and stretching device; Fig. 6, aplanthe manner of applying these braces, and the 7 5 view of the bottom ofthe case, showing the dotted lines show the expanding effect of thearrangement of the casters, blocks, and rolldevice when borne down. ersand their supports, also the ventilating When a bed is folded with awoven-wire opening; Fig. 7 shows a sectional view of the fabric, thefabric is inclined to spring in todetachable hinge device; Fig. 8, aplan View ward the center. To counteract this tendency, 8c- 0 of thesame; Fig. 9, the portion of the hinge when the stretching-braces abovedescribed with the lug, and Fig. 10 the slotted portion; are not usedthe attaching of the fabric for a and Fig. 11, a plan View of a portionof the short distance from its ends, as shown in Fig. bed-bottom,showing the side attachment of 11, is a cheap mode of counteracting thisthe fabric to the frame. tendency. 85 3 5 The same letters represent theparts both in I do not claim to be the first to attach a fabthe drawingsand specification. ric at its sides, generally, but only in a Myimprovements are adapted, principally, folding bed to counteract thedifficulty stated. to such a folding bed as is set forth in my Let- Thefront section of the bedcase has baseters Patentgranted April 24, 1883,and numrunners h underneath and extending inward, 0 0 bered 27 6,464;and as in said patent the head as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, upon the underside end of my present case is lettered A, the foot of which arecastersz' i. The head'section of end B, the side rails O, pivoted at a ato the the case also has similar runners,with casters head and footsections and hinged at their at their inner ends, and blocks of wood 3'at middle. To the siderails, at their outer ends, their rear ends,instead of casters. These 5 are secured end rails, D D, to which areatblocks are not as thick as the casters are high, tached the oppositeends of an elasticmetallic so that the head-section of the case, whensupfabric of woven-wire coils, G, or of other ported upon its castersand blocks, pitches equivalent character, and of the proper length backa little, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. to be sufficiently tight foruse when the side 1. The same is also true of the foot-section, 10$rails are extended. Acenter cross-rail, D, is the front casters being alittle shorter than secured to pendants from the side rails; and theback ones, causing it to pitch a little forward; and when the twosections are closed together and secured thus the caster t is at theback of the inclosed case, and i is at the front; and the bringing thecase-inclosing up to a vertical lift-block, j, and caster 2' off fromthe floor, and leaves the entire case mounted upon the four casters atthe inner ends of the runners, so that it .can readily be moved whenclosed, and so that when the sections are unlocked and fall back to thedotted lines before mentioned the head-section becomes anchored to thefloor, so that it will not follow the foot end when being drawn out inthe process of opening-a very essential resultin a folding bed with afoot-section adapted to be drawn back and forth.

The detachable hinges consist of plates 12, with a stud projecting fromone side of them adapted to be secured to the inside of the head andfoot sections of the case at a a with the studs projecting inward forabout half an inch. To the outside of the side rails, at a properdistance from their ends, are attached the angular slotted plates 0 inthe position shown in Fig. 3, (also see plates n and 0, shown by Figs. 9and 10.) The slats preserve their diagonal position both when the bed isfolded and unfolded, thus preventing their becoming detached; but whenthe bed is unfolded the rail-section can readily be lifted out orreplaced without the use of tools, thus often proving a convenience inhandling and removing to clean; or otherwise these plates may be variedin form more or less, as found desirable.

The inner sides of the bottom are cut out, as shown in Fig. 6, for thepurposes of ventilation and lightness, such bottom ventilation beingfound much more effieient than openings higher up and only upon theback, for the reason that air entering centrally at the bottomcirculates upward equally upon both sides of the folded bedding.

Having thus described my improvements, what I consider new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, are as follows 1. In a bed'bottom, asupporting-frame, in

combination with a continuous elastic fabric attached at its respectiveends to the supporting-frame, but with its side edges free their wholelength, or nearly so, and supports connected to said free edges to holdthem out when moving down under pressure, substantially as described.

2. In a bed-bottom, a supporting-frame, in

combination with a continuous elastic fabric attached at its ends tosaid frame, but with its side edges free, and yielding spreadingsupports connected to said free edges, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

3. In abed-bottom, suitable end supports for the bottom fabric, incombination with a continuous elastic fabric attached at its respectiveends to said supports, but having its side edges free the whole length,or nearly so, of the bed, and cross braces or levers pivott d at one endto a support below the fabric, and at their opposite ends connected tothe opposite side edges of said fabric, but otherwise free to vibrate ontheir pivots, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a folding bed, suitable supports for the bottom fabric, incombination with a 0011-.

tinuous elastic fabric attached at its respective ends to said supports,foldingside rails, a cross-bar attached to said rails and arrangedunderneath the elastic fabric, and cross-braces or levers pivoted at oneend to the cross-bar and connected at their other ends to the oppositeside edges of the fabric, but otherwise free to vibrate on their pivots,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a bed-bottom, suitable end supports for the bottom fabric, incombination with a continuous elastic fabric attached at its re spectiveends to said supports, and side rails to which the fabric is connectedat each edge for a short distance from each end support, substantiallyas and for the purposes set forth.

DAVID J. PO\VERS.

Witnesses:

FRANK A. PowERs, A. L. GRIFFITH.

